


Dogtags

by antlersev



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Canon-Typical Violence, Dad Spy, Engie is my dad, Implied Heavy/Medic - Freeform, M for swears and violence, M/M, Non-Binary Pyro, Scout is a ball of joy, Sniper is an Anxious Wreck, Soldier loves his raccoons, Werewolf!Sniper, everybody has superpowers, idk I just wanted an excuse to write about werewolf Snipes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 12:15:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17704088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antlersev/pseuds/antlersev
Summary: There were many people in this world who were gifted with strange abilities of their own: be it flying, telekinesis, super strength, or any other incredible talents one could think of. The group Sniper was a part of were nine such examples. Each mercenary of Team Fortress RED had their own unique talent to offer.Unfortunately for Sniper, his ability wasn't the most pleasant.





	1. Chapter 1

Sniper gasped as a wave of pain sparked through him. 

It was a pain he knew all too well -- a searing burn resulting from his unnatural abilities. 

There were many people in this world who were gifted with strange abilities of their own: be it flying, telekinesis, super strength, or any other incredible talents one could think of. The group Sniper was a part of were nine such examples. Each mercenary of Team Fortress RED had their own unique talent to offer.

Unfortunately for Sniper, his ability wasn't the most pleasant.

He felt the itch rising up on him all day. It was something that happened when he was under extreme stress or he had suppressed his ability for an extended period of time. The more it spread, the more frustrated he became, causing it to itch even more in a vicious cycle. He missed quite a few easy shots during the day's fight and ended up in respawn more times than he'd like to admit as a result. The itch grew to a burn as the day came to an end, and finally hit its peak as he quickly made his way towards his camper. He was almost to his door when the searing pain shot through him.

Sniper didn't notice his eyes were clenched shut until he dazedly fluttered them open, noticing his hand was gripping intensely at his red shirt. In his delirium, he slumped up against the side of his camper and skid along the length of the vehicle. As he reached the side facing away from his team's base, he collapsed onto his knees. Fog dulled his senses and clouded his brain. Even so, a slew of frantic thoughts drifted their way across his consciousness:

_Scout. Scout isn't here. I wish he was here. No I don't. I told him I needed to be alone. He doesn't need to know. Worry. He would worry. I need to be alone. I need to run. I need to go--_

His thoughts were cut off with another bout of stabbing pain.

He was alone.

The flood of thoughts regarding Scout would have disturbed him months earlier, but that was before Sniper and Scout had begun to know each other. They had grown very close recently, and the two found many things they had in common, and that their opposites complimented each other nicely. Strangers became acquaintances, acquaintances became friends, and friends became an inseparable duo. Despite being so close, however, Sniper still couldn't open up about his ability while Scout had always been an open book. Within hours of joining RED everyone knew about the young mercenary's ability: He could take on animal abilities to aid him in the art maneuvering the battlefield. Sniper found himself drawn to the runner as a result. 

In regards to Sniper's ability, everyone assumed he had heightened senses. And while he did, that wasn't all there was. 

Sniper let out a whine like gasp as his eyesight began to black out, finally feeling something deep in his bones shift.

Lycanthropy was a bitch.

 

\-----

 

Scout was sprawled on his bed, a comic book pressed up to his face, yet he couldn't concentrate enough to read a single page. Sniper would usually spend some time with the runner after fights, but tonight Sniper grunted out a "I'm goin' t' bed. Don't feel too well. G'night mate." and immediately headed for his camper. As odd as the marksman sounded, Scout couldn't deny that Sniper definitely seemed ill. He felt bad for Sniper. Should he do something? 

Letting out a puff of air Scout threw down his comic book. Determined to at least ask if Sniper needed anything, he swung his legs over the side of his bed and hopped up. He milled about his room and wondered if he should bring anything, eventually settling on just bringing himself. He opened his door and made his way towards the exit closest to Sniper's van. 

The runner passed the recreation room, peaking in and spotting the Demoman asleep on a recliner, Pyro closely watching a cartoon on the TV, and the Engineer sitting on the couch, scribbling notes. Scout cleared his throat.

"Hey I'm gonna go check on Snipes, make sure he ain't barfin' his guts up," he said, leaning on the doorframe.

"Sounds good pardner, I was a lil' concerned about him m'self. He couldn't shoot a mountain if he was standin' right beside it today," Engineer drawled, not glancing up from his notes, "tell 'im I hope he feels better."

Pyro turned and clapped their hands together, excitedly mumbling something that only Scout could manage to understand.

"Good idea Pyro. I'll stick in a movie for him."

Pyro giggled in delight. Demo snorted in his sleep, muttering something incoherent. As Scout opened his mouth to say goodbye, he thought he heard a distant noise. Turning on his "dog mode" as he called it, he stood there and let his hearing quickly grow stronger. Something definitely was making sounds outside, somewhere near Sniper's camper. A little more nervous than before, Scout quickly left the room and made it towards the exit. Once he was outside, he could hear something that sounded like large dog…whimpering? Growling? He wasn't quite sure what it was. 

Wait-- was that Sniper yelling too?

Feeling increased speed in his legs, he dashed towards the lone camper. As he neared, he was hit with a wall of fear for Sniper. Respawn wasn't on after battle hours. He wanted to make sure the marksman was okay, so he quietly opened the door and stepped inside. A quick glance around confirmed what he feared: Sniper was nowhere to be seen.

There was a low growl that rumbled outside, startling Scout. The runner was now well and truly terrified. Slowly he crept towards the window over the camper sink and carefully parted the small drapes. 

All he could see was a huge mass of brown fur.

Scout gasped and dropped the fabric. He heard a quick rustling from the animal outside, before the thumping of footsteps told him the thing was running off.

 _Holy shit. Holy. Shit._ Scout was shaking. _What was that, a goddamn bear?_

Scout's eyes widened in realization. He was standing in Sniper's camper with no sign of the man, but the runner was sure he heard him. That could only mean one thing.

_That damn thing musta got Snipes!_

 

\-----

 

Scout dashed towards the woods, following a path of broken branches and disturbed grass. As he moved, something red on the ground caught his eye. A quick stop confirmed it was a torn piece of Sniper's shirt. 

_Oh this dick-headed walking carpet is gonna eat my fuckin' scattergun._

Scout continued on after the creature, hearing its footfalls clearer as he got closer. Then, the steps came to a stop.

Scout paused at the edge of a clearing where the animal was standing, perked ears searching for something.

Standing. It was standing on two legs.

Scout could also see it had a few scraps of clothing clinging to it. The thing turned its head, letting Scout see its doglike face. There wasn't any blood on it, so why did it have some of Sniper's torn clothes? 

Scout must have stepped on a twig because the thing whipped its head and shoulders towards Scout's direction. It let out a low growl, revealing massive canines. 

Scout, who had no weapons and who's mouth was bigger than his brain, called out to the animal.

"Hey! What'd'ya do to Snipes?!"

The animal's growl abruptly stopped. It cocked its head and sniffed the air. This was either really good, or _really_ bad. 

The giant animal casually walked up towards Scout. The runner could now see that the torn clothing looked like it was _on_ the animal, like it tried to wear it and ripped it or rapidly grew out of it. Scout stood frozen like a deer as the giant dog-thing stopped in front of him, towering over him a good few feet. It cocked its head again, and leaned in to sniff. 

Scout definitely did not squeak.

The animal quickly pulled its head back, and right when Scout hoped to God respawn was somehow still on, the animal's tail started wagging and it's tongue lolled out of its mouth. It let out what sounded like a happy bark and crouched down, butting its head into Scout's chest, pushing him back with the strength. Scout was at a loss for words.

The animal pulled back and continued to wag its tail and pant like a happy puppy. That's when Scout noticed the thin yet long scar running down under its left eye and to its nose, just like--

"Oh Sniper you fuckin' asshole."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp! First fanfic in like, 8 years lol
> 
> I apologise if it's hard to understand what's happening, I've been writing literary analysis essays for waaaaay too long and it's hard to switch back to ~creative writing~ which is loads more fun. This was also written on my phone and I have no beta reader. Hooray! :^D
> 
> Anyways! To clear things up: everybody in team RED has a superpower to aid them in fiighting. I can list them if you guys want/ask, or I can just reveal them as they're introduced :>
> 
> However, regarding Scout 'n Snipes:  
> Scout can use animal abilities (his shape doesn't change tho) to get faster and have better senses and jumping and stuff, and Sniper is a werewolf who constantly has enhanced senses.
> 
> Also I wanna give a special thanks to Cornpony, who's fanfics inspired me to write again :")
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

After some thorough happy headbutting on the beast's part and some cautious patting on his, Scout decided to bring the big animal back to Sinper's camper. He wasn't positive that this--Dog? Wolf?--was Sniper, but adding together the torn clothes, the scar, and the happy reaction to seeing Scout, the runner decided that this was most likely the case. With a incredulous exhale, Scout patted the still crouched "Sniper" on the head.

"C'mon, let's go to your van. I don't think you wandering off is a good idea, especially since we got work tomorrow," Scout said, his voice only wavering the slightest bit.

The beast perked up again at the sound of his voice, wagging its tail and standing to its full height. Scout gulped and turned to start walking back towards the camper, hoping it would follow.

TROMP TROMP TROMP TROMP--

With a yelp of surprise, Scout spun around to see the beast running deeper into the woods.

Scout pursed his lips. After a pause, he called out: "Ya better come back to the camper! Remember we got work!" He then turned back towards the base and started walking.

The way back was uneventful, save for a few rustling bushes that, if you asked him, Scout would swear he wasn't scared of. It had been the evening when Scout left the base, and now the sun was setting, making vision difficult. He shifted his eyes to cat vision and let out a sigh of relief when Sniper's van eventually came into view.

He felt a little bad entering the Australian's home without permission, but truthfully that was the least of his worries. Dog-Sniper was still off running in the woods with no indication of returning, so Scout headed into Sniper's camper to look for something to attract the beast. A quick survey only yielded various weapons and some camping equipment Sniper never got around to putting away. However there was a small fridge in the vehicle, so the runner decided to have a look in there for some kind of meat. The marksman did love hunting, after all.

That being said, there wasn't much in the way of food in the fridge-- just a few beers and a half eaten sandwich. 

_C'mon Snipes give me somethin' here..._

Scout stared at the sandwich, contemplating using that, when he heard scratching at the door followed by a low whine.

Startled, Scout opened the door only to be greeted by a pleased looking dog-man holding a bloody rabbit in its jaws.

"Jesus Christ Snipes, you're lucky I stick to cats and dogs."

The beast tried entering the too small camper, forcing Scout to block the doorway.

"Oh hell no. You'll just get blood everywhere then blame me for that!" Scout huffed. The dog-Sniper let out another whine.

Scout rubbed his eyes with his hand, "Fuckin' hell. Okay here's what we're gonna do," he said as he stepped over to the camping equipment and grabbed a sleeping bag and pillow. He then returned to the doorway and stepped out, trying his best not to get too close to the carnage on the beast. 

"I'm gonna put down some camping shit, and we're gonna wait this whole dog-Sniper thing out," he tossed the camping gear onto the ground outside the van, "if we wake up late I'm blaming you," he continued, straightening everything out and shutting the camper door before sitting down on the sleeping bag.

When it looked like the beast was going to come and drop the rabbit on him, Scout leapt to his feet.

"Jesus, no! I don't want it! Get that shit outta here!"

It let out another whine before dejectedly dropping the rabbit off to the side. It looked back over at Scout with the slowest and saddest head turn the runner had ever seen.

"Don't give me that shit. I don't want rabbit guts on me," Scout grumbled as he sat back down onto the sleeping bag.

The animal let out a deep exhale and heavily laid down near Scout. 

The runner sighed as well, the exhaustion of the day finally hitting him. He opened up the sleeping bag and crawled in, thankful for the pleasant weather. He curled on his side facing away from the mass of fur, and slowly let his eyes drift closed.

A noisy shuffling shocked his eyes back open.

Groaning and palming his eyes, Scout felt a huge, furry body curl up right behind him. Turning his head confirmed it: the giant dog seemed to have had gotten over the rejection of the rabbit and made itself comfortable in Scout's sleeping space.

"Fine. But just so ya know I'm gonna make fun of you when ya turn back," Scout huffed, "and please for the love of God turn back. I'm not dealin' with wet dog smell and small animal blood for the rest of my life,"

Scout stuttered, eyes going wide, "Wait! I didn't mean that-- not that we're gonna live together or nothin'-- but I dunno, I kinda like that idea. Me 'n you, hanging out in a cool backwoods cabin or somethin'. We get along well, and I like bein' with ya," Scout continued to ramble on, and eventually noticed the animal's breathing had slowed to a deep sleep. Scout let out a large yawn and rolled back over as well.

"Night, Snipes."

 

\-----

 

Early morning sunlight flickered through the canopy of a nearby tree, managing to shine directly on Sniper's face. Groaning and throwing an arm over his eyes, his mind slowly shifted into consciousness. As he awoke, he listened for details on his surroundings. The morning after a stress turn always left him at some random location. He listened intently for a moment, taking in the sounds of rustling leaves a little ways off and bird chirping. 

And, disturbingly, someone else's breathing.

That bit of information was enough to shock Sniper fully awake. He quickly sat up and turned to the side. To his utter confusion and horror, Scout laid dozing beside him. He then noticed his sleeping bag that the runner was in and he was currently laying on. Then he noticed his camper behind them. Sniper thought he was hallucinating.

Awakened by the Australian's jostling, Scout grunted and rolled over towards Sniper, drowsily blinking his eyes open.

"Oh hey you're you again. Cool."

Sniper stared at Scout in utter disbelief.

Scout closed his eyes again and let out a sigh, "ya coulda' fuckin' told me you could turn into a dog-man,"

Sniper coughed awkwardly, his voice scratchy, "…sorry mate."

"It ok man. Now go put some clothes on."

Sniper's mind short-circuited and he dashed into his camper.

 

\-----

 

Luckily for them, they woke up early enough that breakfast was still out at the base. The two ate in silence, their uneasy quiet only being broken by the Engineer saying he was glad to see the marksman was feeling better and the Spy commenting on Sniper's ragged appearance

The Australian hadn't said more than single word sentences the entire morning despite Scout's prodding, and the Bostonian was determined to at least get some kind of explanation. When the kitchen was cleared out leaving the two to clean up their dishes, Scout spoke up once again.

"Hey, I at least want like, some kind of confirmation that that wasn't some kind 'a hallucination."

Sniper sighed as he stood and set his dishes in the sink, "Look mate, it wasn't a hallucination. I'll tell ya about it later."

"Oh thank fuck, I was worried it was gonna be one of those 'shut up and never talk to me again' kind 'o deal," Scout said, setting down his dishes as well.

Sniper smirked, some of his usual self returning, "Nah. I don't think you could ever stop talking."

"Normally I'd punch you, but hey, I'm feelin' generous, considerin' you got me such a nice rabbit last night,"

Sniper raised an eyebrow, "I seem to recall you spoutin' words about living with me right after. Guess you must of appreciated it to some degree," he then turned and headed out of the kitchen.

Scout went pale before chasing after the marksman, "Hey! I didn't know you could remember that shit!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this isn't terribly long, I'm still trying to figure out how big I want my chapters to be. Writing is hard and y'all are so skilled at this stuff lmao!
> 
> This fic is turning into pure self indulgence and I'm only slightly ashamed. As you can see, comedic writing is my natural state, so you'll see a lot of that. I was worried it was gonna be a little OOC, but then I remembered this was TF2 and Medic surgically attached the souls of his teammates to his so he could bargain with literal satan.
> 
> Anywho~ Thank you so much for reading! It means the world ❤️


	3. Chapter 3

Sniper made his way to his chosen sniping spot for the fight. Today they were at Dustbowl, and the BLU team was fighting over a series of RED control points. The marksman stood in the entrance of a mine and pulled his rifle off his shoulder, aiming down the sights. This was the most optimal spot in terms of cover and distance from the action. Gazing through his scope, he scanned the battlefield as his team set up for the fight that was about to start. 

He watched the Soldier leaping high into the air before landing on the roof of a small building, with the Pyro near him fiddling with their flamethrower. A few feet away Heavy was inspecting his weapon, with the Medic's Medigun trained on him. The rest of the team was scattered around the field, most out of sight. He could hear the Engineer smacking away at his sentry and the Demoman laughing. The marksman continued to gaze through his scope, noticing how rested he felt which was much more different than what he was used to the day after a stress induced turn. 

_I s'pose I have Scout to thank for that,_ Sniper thought, still uncomfortable at the fact that the younger man knew his secret. 

"Ey, Snipes!" 

As if Sniper's thoughts summoned him, Scout called out from nearby. Startled, Sniper pulled his rifle away from his face and whipped his head towards the voice. Only Scout and the Spy could creep up on the marksman like that.

He raised an eyebrow, "Yeah?"

"Do you turn all the time, or is it a full moon kinda deal like in the kids stories?"

Sniper huffed, "Kid, now's not the time."

"I know, I know. You said later, but that's been bugging me!"

"Bugger off to the bloody point."

Scout groaned out a "fine" and dashed off. Sniper was definitely not looking forward to that conversation.

The Administrator's voice broke his train of thought, announcing they had 30 seconds till the round began. At least fighting was something to take his mind of everything. Nothing says forget your everyday troubles quite like a backstab or a wayward rocket.

"Mission begins in ten, nine, eight.."

The Sniper gazed down his sights once more, shifting his entire focus to shooting down BLUs.

 

\-----

 

The battle was over rather quickly. The BLUs had terrible coordination and combined with the RED's strong defense, they hadn't managed a single capture. The RED team was celebrating the whole way back to the base. Even Sniper, who did horribly the day before, did quite well, and even managed to kill the BLU Spy before getting backstabbed. 

When they finally made it to the base, the team headed inside to celebrate. Sniper, on the other hand, made his way to his camper to wait for the eventual arrival of Scout. 

He stepped into his camper and made his way to his fridge. Much to his dismay, there was only a half eaten sandwich and couple of beers. He contemplated the sandwich for a moment before shrugging and grabbing it, taking a bite. 

_Meh. Could be worse._

He set his gun down on the small table nearby and sat down onto the couch. Determined to not be startled again, he listened closely for Scout's approach. 

He jumped at the sound of knocking at his door.  
Getting up to toss the rest of the sandwich in the garbage, he called out. 

"Door's unlocked."

The door then swung open, revealing an entirely too eager Scout. The runner hopped in and quickly shut the door. 

"Alright man, time to start talkin'."

Sniper raised an eyebrow, "Alright, what do ya want t' know?"

Scout flopped onto the couch, "Ok, so do ya change on the full moon are whatever?"

"Nope. Happens any time," Sniper replied and leaned onto his sink.

"So you can randomly change at any time?! That sucks man! How did I never notice?!" 

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Sniper sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "I can do it on command, but if I don't do it for a while I get all…pent up? I dunno. But I can't really control it when I get like that. I usually stay pretty distant when that happens to the base doesn't catch wind."

Scout looked oddly contemplative, "I guess that makes sense," he paused, taking it all in.

"Earlier ya said you remembered me talking last night. You remember everything?"

Sniper nervously scratched his chin, "I only remember bits from last night. Usually I'm fully conscious, but if I'm in a stress turn it gets kinda fuzzy."

"So you can like, control the dog you?"

"I wouldn't put it like that, but yeah."

Scout jumped up off the couch, "That's so cool! Our powers kinda match! I mean, I don't get hairy or nothin', but we both can get all animal like!" Scout made a clawing gesture with his hands, "ya gotta show me Dog Snipes when you're fully there in the brain!"

"Oi, you ain't seein' nothin'. You only get to ask questions, not see a bloody demonstration," Sniper huffed.

"Aw c'mon Snipes…."

"No, ya bloody gremlin."

Scout groaned, "Fine. One more question then."

"Yeah?"

"Is headbutting the way Aussies say hello?"

Sniper sputtered fiercely before hiding his face under his hat.

 

\-----

 

The two stayed in Sniper's camper and talked for a few hours after the initial conversation, both ending up on the small couch. Sniper, though nervous before, couldn't help but feel happy that someone else knew his secret, and was okay with it. He hadn't felt comfortable like this since before he left his home in Australia. He felt a pang of longing for his childhood home.

"Snipes?" 

Sniper blinked out of his thoughts, "Sorry, what did ya say?"

"I said we should get somethin' t' eat," Scout finished with a yawn.

"I'm alright mate, I had part of a sandwich."

"Oh hell naw, don't tell me you ate that disgustin' ass sandwich in the fridge," Scout said, clearly appalled.

Sniper coughed awkwardly.

"Jesus!" Scout shivered, "well if you're not gonna eat, I guess I'll go before Soldier feeds everything to his raccoon army."

Scout stood from the couch and stretched. He made his way to the door, turning his head to the marksman as he opened the door.

"Thanks for explainin' shit. It's cool to learn about ya. C'ya tomorrow, Legs," Scout said with a wink, exiting the trailer and letting the door swing closed.

A light blush dusted Sniper's face. His usually overactive mind seemed to short circuit. He shook his head to clear it, walking over to the fridge to pull out a beer. Popping off the cap, he stood there in silence, sipping at the drink and staring out the small window over the sink.

It had been a very long time since the marksman had felt so comfortable around someone. He remembered how Scout talked about living together last night, and how utterly pleased Sniper felt in response. Even during a stress turn, Sniper still wanted to be with Scout. The last time he was this at ease, he was still living at home, helping his parents on the farm with his abilities. He didn't mind changing then. What would be the harm in changing now?

Maybe he'd go for a run.

 

\-----

 

Scout made his way across the pavement towards the base. The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange glow onto the dusty landscape. He smiled to himself, excited about his new knowledge regarding his Australian friend. Sniper was a rather reclusive person, so any new information was welcome. All Scout wanted was to know him better.

Reaching the base, Scout made his way inside and towards the kitchen. Pyro had made some hotdogs that were surprisingly not charred, and lucky for Scout there was still a few left. The room was empty, save for Engineer who was happily doing the dishes while whistling a tune.

The runner grabbed a hotdog and took a large bite. The Engineer turned to him and smiled. 

"Hey there kiddo. Was wonderin' when you'd show up! How's Sniper?"

"Heesh good, feelin bedder," Scout said, his mouth full.

Engineer chuckled and turned back to the sink, "Well that's good t' hear! He sure is lucky he's got ya lookin' out for 'im."

Scout beamed, swallowing his food, "Awe hell yeah. I'm nothin' but help!" He grinned, "I'll see ya later Hardhat."

Engineer nodded with a smile as Scout walked off. The young mercenary made his way to the rec room, dropping onto the large couch, his feet over an arm rest. Heavy and Medic were having a quiet game of chess, while Pyro doodled on the ground, and Soldier sat in the recliner with a raccoon crawling all over him.

"And I said to him, 'you get out of here you hippie! We only want red blooded Americans at this family diner!'" Soldier's voice boomed. The raccoon then chittered in response.

"Do not fret, Lieutenant Bites! I shall get you food!" Soldier responded before standing and stomping out of room, the raccoon settling on his shoulders.

Scout rolled his eyes, finishing off his meal. Soldier's power was being able to leap incredibly high, but apparently he could also understand animals. How truthful that was, however, remained to be seen.

The runner stared at the ceiling in thought. As his mind drifted back to Sniper, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning his head brought him face to face with a gas mask.

"Hey Pyro, what's up?"

"Hudda hut! Hud huh hud hu!" The masked mercenary presented a piece of paper covered in bright colors.

"This is for me?" Scout asked, one of the only mercenaries who could understand Pyro. 

Pyro nodded happily. Scout took the drawing with a smile and a thanks before glancing at it. It was a surprisingly good picture of himself and Sniper holding hands with a rainbow in the background. 

He couldn't stop his heart from fluttering at the idea of holding the marksman's hand.

"Thanks a ton, Pyro! This'll go right up on my wall," Scout said, finally finding his voice. Pyro clapped joyfully before going back to their doodles. Scout took another glance at the drawing and let out a puff of air. 

Holding hands with Sniper sounded _really_ nice.

 

\-----

 

Sniper dashed through the woods on all fours, enjoying the feeling of wind in his fur. It had been a long time since he ran while fully lucid. His powerful legs propelled him forward with no real destination in mind until he made his way to what looked like an abandoned barn. The werewolf skidded to a stop, sniffing the air for anything alive before deciding to explore. He stood up on two legs and made his way through the already open barn door.

Inside was remarkably organized for an abandoned building. There were bales of hay pushed up against a wall and an old rusty tractor. Sniper padded up to the tractor, examining it. It looked remarkably like the one his father used. He let out a puff of air and glanced away, noticing that there was a second loft like floor that looked pretty stable. Not wanting to trouble himself with forcing his giant form up a tiny ladder, he bunched his muscles and leapt up, landing on the planks with ease. He surveyed the area, only noticing some rusty tools and more hay bales. What did catch his eye, however, was an old baseball cap hanging on a hook. The cap reminded him if Scout. He thought about how he should show the runner this barn. Then he thought about Scout and him on a farm. Then he thought about the two of them. Together.

Sniper let out a concerned whine. Things were getting complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this feels kind of crammed! I wanna get all the exposition stuff out of the way so I can focus on the meat of the story, because I think I know where I want this to go! 
> 
> Or, at least I've got some scenes I really wanna write so I have to _get there_ first lol
> 
> Some notes: Sniper has a pretty strong digestive system since he's a werewolf. Something that would make someone else super sick doesn't really bug him, and at worst just gives him an upset stomach. He's a dirty trash man.
> 
> Every hit, kudos, bookmark, and comment gives me so much joy and inspiration, I just wanna hug you all :") thank you so much for reading this very self indulgent, un beta'd, written on a phone fic ;v;


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This took so long I'm so sorry!!  
> So here's a 3500 word chapter :>

The next few weeks were uneventful. Sniper's score had climbed back up since the incident, and everything seemed to be going back to normal-- as normal as things could be when you were a superpowered mercenary.

However, there was a growing tension between Sniper and Scout that both sides were keenly aware of. All spare time was spent together. One weekend, Sniper even spent the night at the base after a late night card game. During work, the marksman found himself watching the runner through his scope more often than not, picking off the enemies nearby so the kid could get to the objective without taking a trip through respawn. Similarly, Scout would make periodic trips near Sniper's nest with the excuse of flanking to check for spies or rogue pyros lurking about. 

The day came to a close with a lose for RED. Despite this, the team was rather upbeat, as the next day was the start of a two week long break from the fighting. This was rather uncommon, but no one was going to question it. Sniper and Scout made their way to the base side by side after putting away their weapons, with the Bostonian chatting a way and the Australian quietly listening. They branched off the group and made their way to Sniper's camper, which had become the norm lately.

"--and then I went dog-fast, completely leavin' the other kid in the dust. His fault for claimin' he could outrun me!" Scout finished as they approached the van door, his arms moving animatedly along with his words.

Sniper let out a huff of laughter, opening up his door, "Bet you didn't tell him you could do that, did ya? Ya little gremlin."

Scout put his hand on his chest in mock offense, "I can't believe ya, Snipes! Accusin' _me_ of somethin' like that? I'd never!" 

Sniper rolled his eyes with a smile, stepping inside with Scout right behind. The younger man made a beeline for the fridge, opening it up for something to eat. While it used to be empty except for beer and the occasional Fraken-sandwich, it was now rather well stocked with food Scout had brought over.

"I know you said you got that werewolf gut thing goin' on, but I ain't gonna watch you eat something like that ever again. That was the worst thing I ever saw," Scout had said in response to Sniper eating a dubious looking bit of leftovers from the base. After that the runner would bring something new to stock up each time he visited.

Sniper smiled at the thought, taking off his hat and watching Scout rifle through the food. The runner pulled out some soft tortilla shells. This caused Sniper's brow to furrow.

"Ah, you makin' Mexican food, mate? When did we even get these?"

Scout moved over to the cabinet, pulling out a jar of peanut butter, also courtesy of the Bostonian, "I'm gonna show you an old family recipe. I don't wanna spoil dinner, since Hardhat's makin' steak, but I got the munchies," he said, grabbing a plate and putting a flour shell on it. He unscrewed the top of the peanut butter, grabbed a knife, and set to work….lathering the shell in peanut butter.

Sniper stared on in absolute horror. This was _barbaric!_ At least what Sniper ate was food at one point in time. This…this was unholy.

"Scout, you've gone bloody looney."

Scout laughed maniacally, continuing this affront to God. As he finished, he tossed the knife in the sink and rolled up the concoction. He turned to Sniper, made direct eye contact, and took a bite.

"You're never allowed in my trailer again you absolute mongrel."

Scout smirked, munching on his snack, "Ya jush jealoush."

"Talk with yer mouth closed please, ya hooligan."

Scout swallowed, flashing another smile, "One time my ma ran outta bread makin' sandwiches for all o' us, but we happened to have some o' these taco shells. She put peanut butter on it and called it good, and it ended up stickin' as a common thing," Scout said before taking another bite. Sniper shivered.

"Whatever ya say mate."

After finishing his "meal", the runner sat down on the small couch, followed by Sniper. The two talked for a bit, nothing serious, before falling into a comfortable quiet, both lost in their own thoughts. Scout was the one to break the silence.

"Hey, if ya don't mind me askin', when you turn, does it hurt?"

Sniper stilled, "…sometimes," he said with his voice lowered.

"Whaddaya mean by sometimes?"

The marksman sighed, "Usually it's just a little uncomfortable, just aches a bit. But when it's a forced turn it can be real painful," he finished, glancing away in discomfort.

Scout was quiet for a moment, "Jeeze I'm sorry man. I'll hurt if I overdo it or change something for too long, but nothing near what yer describin'."

Sniper shrugged, "I guess that's just how it is. It didn't hurt as much when I was younger."

Scout perked up at that, "When you were younger?"

"Yeah. When I was a kid on my parents farm it wouldn't be uncommon for me to change to help my dad do some heavy lifting. I started doin' it less and less as I got older, feelin' a bit self conscious about it. Then everytime I turned it was only when it was forced," Sniper said with a sigh, still not looking at Scout out of nervousness.

"Why did you stop?"

Sniper was quiet for a long moment, trying to figure out how to phrase it without saying too much.

"Someone I was close to said somethin' cruel, and it messed with my head."

Scout was then quiet himself. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. It was rare that he ever got to learn anything about Sniper's childhood, so he jumped on any opportunity he could. The runner thought about what the older man said, and clenched his fist in anger. Who would be so mean to someone so kind?

"Well, I woulda punched that person right in their face."

Sniper smiled slightly, finally glancing back over to the younger man. 

"Thanks mate. 'Preciate it."

Scout's heart fluttered at the smile. The feeling was something he experienced a lot of lately, happening almost every time he was near the tall Australian. After days of thinking it over and evaluating what he was feeling, the runner finally figured out what he had to do.

"Hey Snipes, wanna date?"

Sniper's brain shut down.

"…ah, what was that?"

Scout coughed nervously, "Ya know, date. Hold hands and hang out and talk and shit."

Sniper felt like his head was underwater, "We- I mean- don't we do two of those things already?"

"I mean, yeah, I guess so," Scout scratched at his nose, "wanna just add on hand holding and call it datin'?"

Sniper's heart tightened and he was silent for a few seconds.

"…Yeah. Sure mate. I'd like that."

Scout let out a huge sigh, "Oh thank fuck, I was worried you were gonna throw me out or somethin'."

Sniper smirked, "I mean, if I didn't throw you out for that monstrosity you made earlier I must be awfully fond of you."

Scout flashed a bright smile, "Ya mean that?"

"'Course."

Scout laughed and threw his hands around Sniper's neck in a hug.

They made their way to the base for dinner hand in hand, Scout beaming and Sniper blushing.

When they sat down to eat, Spy discretely slipped Engineer a twenty dollar bill.

 

\-----

 

After the meal, the mercenaries were informed over the intercom that there would be a meeting to discuss a mission, and to stay put. When the voice of the Administrator ceased, almost everyone groaned.

"Of fuckin' course," Scout said, his face in his hands, "When have we ever gotten time off. Fuck me."

"Aye. Would be nice if they bothered mentionin' it earlier," Demo said rubbing his eye before taking a swig of a bottle. 

Before anyone could add on, a bright light flashed in the room and a purple portal opened up. Out of it stepped a small black haired woman.

"Hey Miss P." Scout called out as the portal closed behind her.

"Hey Scout. Everyone. The Administrator has sent me here to send some of you on an assignment," Miss Pauling said, adjusting her glasses and glancing down at the clipboard in her hands.

The Engineer lifted a brow, his goggles pushed up on his head, "Alrighty, who, where, and for what?"

Miss Pauling started reading off a list: "Heavy, Medic, Scout, Engineer, and Sniper. You'll be headed to Coldfront on a search and capture mission for Mann Co."

"Search and capture what exactly?" Medic asked.

"A yeti," she said, not looking up.

"A yeti," Scout repeated, glancing at Sniper in confusion, the marksman returning the puzzled gaze.

"Yeah. Saxton Hale is collecting them for a project, and there was one sighted near Coldfront, so we need some of you out to capture it."

"Implying that there's more than one," Spy said more than asked, taking a puff of a cigarette.

"Yep. For now we just need this one," Pauling said, glancing up, "You five get yourselves ready. Pack for about two weeks. I'll send you out from the main hall in an hour. Provisions and ammunition will be provided, and your weapons will be sent over," She marked something on her clipboard before turning away and lifting a hand, another purple portal opening.

"And try to get it alive please!" She called out before stepping through the portal. It then closed and the light disappeared.

The team sat for a moment, before collectively getting up. Sniper placed a hand on Scout's back.

"I'm gonna head to my camper and get my things together. I'll meet ya here."

Scout nodded, giving Sniper a smile before heading towards his room. Before making it very far he tripped forward as a hand slapped him in the back.

"Good luck son! Make us proud! And congrats on becoming the camper's kangaroo wife!" The Soldier bellowed, grinning with his eyes obscured by his helmet.

"Ah, thanks man, I think?" Scout said, stepping away and heading for the hall as Soldier saluted. 

The runner made his way to his door and pushed in. A duffle bag was sitting beside his bed, so he grabbed that. He started shoving his warmest clothing in it haphazardly before grabbing a stack of comic books and setting it gently on top. Wanting to find his scarf, he checked under his bed before remembering he had stored it in his closet, so he made his way over. While he was looking around in his closet for his scarf, he smelt the distinct scent of cigarettes.

"Hey Spy," he said, not looking over.

"Hm. I just wished to congratulate you and the bushman. That, and to wish you good luck on your mission."

Scout nodded, finding his scarf and a nice sweater in the process, "Thanks, though I was sure you were gonna be pissed."

The runner heard the Frenchman huff, "The only thing I was angry about was that you couldn't wait another month to admit it. I lost twenty dollars because of that."

Scout rolled his eyes and turned to Spy, "Of fuckin' course you made a bet. Oh no, what will you do without twenty whole dollars!"

Spy snorted, "Blame you for losing me money."

Scout lightly punched him in the shoulder.

"All joking aside, I am happy for you. And I want you to be careful on this mission. And keep warm.

Scout smiled, "I will, thanks dad."

That's when they heard someone choking from outside. Scout ran over to the door and ripped it open, seeing Sniper outside clad in a sweater and missing his hat, coughing and gasping for air.

"Snipes?! What the hell- you okay?"

Sniper held up a finger as he continued to sputter, his face red. Spy calmly walked up behind Scout and watched the marksman with a raised eyebrow.

Sniper finally quieted down, taking a few gasps of air with his hands on his knees. He then looked up incredulously at the two in the doorway.

"The spook's your bloody dad?" The Sniper asked, his voice rough.

Scout looked confused, "Yeah?"

Sniper was perplexed, "Well I mean- does everyone know?"

Spy rolled his eyes, looking very much like Scout in that instant, "Yes. Apparently you were the only one unaware. I'm surprised you hadn't noticed sooner with your so called 'enhanced senses.'" 

Sniper rubbed his face, "Well 'scuse me for livin'."

Spy shook his head, "I suppose I'll leave you two to it. I don't want to cause the bushman to go into another coughing fit," the Spy said, brushing past Scout and Sniper and making his way down the hall.

"Be good to my son, or I'll kill you," Spy stated as he walked away, smoke billowing from the cigarette in his hand.

Sniper stared on in disbelief.

"Here, ya better come in before ya keel over," Scout said, gesturing for Sniper to come in. 

The marksman picked up his dropped bag and stepped inside the room. He glanced around, taking it in. The gaze settled on a crayon drawing on the wall, surrounded by other drawings and magazine clippings.

"That us?" Sniper asked.

Throwing the sweater he found over his clothes and wrapping the scarf around his neck, Scout looked over and blushed.

"Oh, a-- yeah. Pyro drew that a couple'a weeks ago. I liked it."

Sniper smiled with a small blush, "I like it too."

Scout smiled in return, throwing the strap of his bag over his shoulder, "Good, 'cause I plan on holding the fuck outta your hand these next two weeks."

Sniper's blush became a little darker, and the marksman became acutely aware he was without his hat.

As he smiled, the runner finally glanced fully at Sniper's sweater. It was red with a little orange cartoon alligator on the chest.

"Love your choice in fashion Crocodile Dundee."

Sniper looked down at his sweater before looking up with a lopsided smile, "Hey, what can I say, my mum got it for me, and it's warm,"

"I'll just have to borrow it and find out myself then," Scout said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"C'mon Legs, let's meet up with Hardhat and the others," Scout said with a wink.

 

\-----

 

The five mercenaries made their way to the main hallway of the base as directed by Miss Pauling, each of them clad in clothing for snowy weather. The remaining four mercs followed to say their goodbyes. Everyone came to a stop, waiting as a familiar light flashed and another of Pauling's portals opened up. The woman herself then stepped through, the gateway closing behind her.

"Alrighty then," she said, "Your weapons and provisions have been sent over to where you'll be staying. Now all that's left is you guys!"

The mercs all said their goodbyes to each other with waves and in Soldier's case, salutes. Pyro gave an extra long hug to Scout and muttered something only the Bostonian understood. Miss Pauling then opened up another portal, and with a final wave of goodbye the group stepped through. As they stepped through, they were hit with a blast of cold. Instead of the RED base they were now surrounded by the wooden walls of a modest cabin.

"Now this isn't right in Coldfront," Miss Pauling began, shivering slightly, "but more towards the nearby mountains where the yeti was sighted. As a result we're too far out for respawn to pick you up, so try not to die. That's why we brought you out here Medic."

The mercenaries nodded, slightly on edge on the prospect of no respawn. 

"There's a radio in the office of this cabin that you should use to update us on anything important. Let us-- well, me, know if you need emergency evac. If it all goes smoothly, I'll be back in about two weeks to pick you and the yeti up!" She finished with another shiver.

With a lifted hand Pauling opened another portal, "Best of luck guys!" She said, before stepping through and disappearing. 

"Well, I s'pose we should start a fire first to keep the chill away," Engineer suggested,

"Da. I will get wood," Heavy nodded before walking towards the front door, the most used to the cold out of all of them. Engineer headed to the fireplace to get it ready, and Medic made his way to explore the rest of the house to figure out the sleeping arrangement.

Sniper on the other hand was already shivering like a half drowned dog, no pun intended. Scout stepped close and took off his scarf, wrapping it around the taller man's neck.

"Th-thank you S-Scout," Sniper chattered.

"No problem ya desert animal. You need it more than I do," Scout said with a laugh.

Sniper gave a shivering smile.

With Heavy's experience it wasn't long until they had a strong fire going. The five mercenaries stayed in the main room near the fireplace to warm up, waiting for the rest of the cabin to do the same. They had arrived quite late in the day, and by the time the fire had started the sun had already set, making it even colder. Heavy sat in a nearby armchair reading a Russian novel he had brought while Medic and Engineer were discussing ideas to capture the yeti at a small table. Sniper was sitting close to the fire, deep in thought. Scout was nearby, watching Sniper's face. The Australian had taken off his aviators, allowing his eyes to make a rare appearance. Scout couldn't help but be captivated.

Scout furrowed his brow at a sudden thought, "Hey, have we decided on bedrooms?" He said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Engineer responded from his spot near Medic, "Heavy and the Doc decided to take the downstairs room. I'm gonna take the pull out couch out here and keep an eye on the fire. You and Sniper can take the loft."

Scout glanced up, only now realizing there was a small loft built above the bedroom and kitchen area, "Huh. Didn't even notice that." Engineer chuckled fondly.

At that the Heavy closed his book, "Then I will go sleep now. Doktor should come too."

Medic let out a yawn, "I suppose so, I don't want to wake up too late tomorrow. Gute Nacht everyone."

Heavy and Medic then made their way to their room. Scout decided it was time for himself and Sniper to do the same. Glancing back over at the man in question, Scout noticed that Sniper was still staring off somewhere else, still deep in thought, though his brow was now furrowed.

"Snipes? You okay?"

Sniper blinked in surprise, turning to look at Scout.

"Oh, ah, yeah. I'm good."

Scout lifted his eyebrows, "well, I'm headed to bed. You wanna come with?"

Sniper's face flushed, "uh, whaddaya mean by that, mate?"

Scout snickered, "it means we're sharing a sleeping space and I wanna know if you're ready t' sleep too."

"Oh! …oh," Sniper muttered, face now a deep red.

"C'mon, we're in the loft."

Engineer watched as the two grabbed their bags and climbed their way up the ladder on the wall, smiling. He shook his head fondly, then went to sent up his own bed.

Once up, Sniper quickly realized he was too tall to stand fully. He was the first to make it up the ladder, and instantly smashed his head into the low ceiling. With a loud swear he hunched over and put a hand on his head.

"What the fuck, you alright Snipes?" Scout asked, making his way up and finally seeing the hunched Australian before him. When he figured out what happened he couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud.

Sniper turned over to the younger man, one eye scrunched shut.

"Well, I'm bloody glad you gotta laugh out've my pain."

Scout pulled himself up and sat on the floor of the small space, his laughs dying down.

"Hah-- I'm sorry, for once being short has paid off!" Scout giggled. 

Grumbling, Sniper sat down on the bed and set his bag on the ground nearby. He went to start his nightly ritual of stripping down to his underwear, but he suddenly remembered he had to share a bed. Blushing was rapidly becoming his default state.

Scout on the other had had no problem stripping to his underwear and slipping on some baseball patterned pajama pants and leaving on his dogtags. Sniper averted his eyes, not wanting to stare. He then tentatively began to take off his sweater, deciding to sleep in the short sleeved shirt he had underneath. He did manage to pull off his pants, however.

Scout flopped on the bed and quickly burrowed underneath the sheets, trying to escape the cold. Sniper couldn't bring himself to do the same and continued to sit on the side of the bed, staring down at the sheets.

"Hey, you comin'?" Scout asked, "if you're worried about me, remember I slept on the ground with Wolf-Snipes and woke up next to Naked-Snipes."

"Wow, that makes me feel so much better," Sniper grumbled.

Scout flashed a sleepy smile, "glad t'hear."

Finally giving in, Sniper slipped under the sheets, laying stiff like a plank.

Scout rolled over to face away from Sniper, letting out a contented noise.

"'Night Snipes."

"….G'night Scout."

Sniper's brain then proceeded to overanalyze the events of the day before drifting off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry how long this took. I had a bunch of family stuff pop up that ended up taking up all my mental strength. Though I made it through and got this chapter done! This is actually twice the length of the first chapter. Hooray!
> 
>  
> 
> Some notes:
> 
> \--the "peanut butter taco" as my family calls it is based on a real thing my family created and eats.  
> \--im gay and like fluff  
> \--if this seems rushed, it's because I wanted to wrap up the "basic" exposition and head to the plot  
> \--i had to ask my brother for plot advice because I have No Friends who like this shit lmao  
> \--I wanted to make them getting together more like real life (Also my dad proposed to my mom by asking "ya wanna?" And then shopping for wedding rings together, so I don't really come from deep romance)  
> \--theres not enough dad spy
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you for reading! Go ahead and comment anything, be it criticism, suggestions, gushing, or keysmashing! :3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I really got no excuse for how late this is-- thanks for sticking with me if you're still here ;v;

Despite the whistling of the wind outside, Sniper felt warm and comfortable. Letting out a heavy breath as he drifted into consiousness, the tall man stretched before nuzzling further in to the nearby warmth. He felt a gentle pressure around his waist. His eyes flew open.

Turning to glance over his shoulder, Sniper saw the sleeping face of Scout pressed into his back. The younger man was sleeping soundly with an arm thrown over Sniper's waist. Sniper felt a blush blooming on his face. He turned back over and tried to figure out how to get up without waking the younger man. Before he could, however, he heard he runner let out a groan and felt the grip let up. Sniper rolled and sat up, looking over as Scout stretched and blinked his eyes open.

Scout looked at Sniper with hooded eyes, "G'mornin'"

Sniper grunted out a quiet reply. In an attempt to quell his anxiety, Sniper pulled the blankets off himself and swing his legs over the side to stand, careful to not hit his head again. He made his was to his bag and started pulling out clothes.

"I reckon we should get ready for today, we'll probably have a meeting to discuss what we're gonna do," the Australian said.

Scout groaned and curled in to the blankets, "ughhhhh but I'm so comfy here. Besides they didn't say anything yesterday about a meetin'."

"Scout, Sniper, we're gonna have a meetin', come down when you're ready!" Engineer called out from the main floor.

Sniper turned to Scout with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. Scout threw a pillow in response.

The two got dressed quickly and made their way down the ladder, the others sitting around a low table near the fireplace. As the two joined the others, Engineer unrolled a blueprint with a proud smile.

"Now, what we got here is a lil' contraption I drew up this mornin'. This'll let us get the big furry bastard easily."

Engineer explained his machine and how it would snap shut like a bear trap to contain the yeti in a cage: all they needed was a place to put it.

"And that's where you two come in!" Engie smiled at Scout and Sniper, "I need y'all to scout ahead and search for potential spots where there's some activity. Medic, Heavy, and I will put the trap together. Then all we gotta do is set it up and wait!"

Scout grinned, "you can count on us Hardhat! Scoutin' is my middle name!"

"I thought it was your first," Sniper smiled.

Scout lightly punched him.

The group then dispersed to start their jobs. Sniper and Scout put on some winter gear, along with grabbing Sniper's rifle. With a goodbye and a wave, the duo set off in to the snowy landscape.

 

\-----

 

The two made their way higher up the slopes of their surroundings, trudging through the freshly fallen snow in heavy boots. They were silent for a while, lost in thought about the area around them. However, Scout was quick to break the silence.

"So…did ya really not know Spy was my dad?"

"Why would I? It seems like you two don't have much in common," Sniper replied.

"Well I mean, our powers are super similar. He can turn in to people he's seen, and I can use abilities from animals I've seen."

Sniper thought for a moment, "so is that why you only really use cat or dog?"

Scout smiled, following Sniper's footprints through a particularly deep patch of snow, "yep! Not much else other than dogs 'n cats in Boston. I gotta touch an animal at least once to use it."

Sniper pushed through some branches, "powers are wacky like that, aren't they?"

Their conversation trailing off, the two made their way to a small grove of trees. They were observing the surroundings when Sniper suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Scout stumbled slightly behind him. He looked around confused.

"Snipes? What's the ho-" 

"Shhh!" Sniper snapped, holding an arm out to the side to stop Scout from moving.

The marksman was eerily still. His gaze was set straight ahead. As if something prompted him, he slipped his rifle off his shoulder and rapidly started pulling off his clothes and shoes.

_What the fuck?_ Scout thought, gaping at the marksman.

"Scout, I need you to promise you'll stay behind me," Sniper said in a low whisper, letting his rifle and clothes drop to the ground, his breath visible in the cold and now only in his pants.

Scout's eyes widened. Letting his hearing enhance, he tried to find what Sniper was noticing. That's when he heard distant stomping and large branches breaking. 

"Scout, you have to trust me."

"Sniper-"

Sniper turned towards Scout, a fierce look on his face, "Please. Trust me."

Scout's eyes flitted to the marksman's teeth, spotting pointed canines, now understanding why Sniper took off his clothing. He looked back up, meeting Sniper's gaze.

"…I trust you."

They kept eye contact for a moment in understanding, as the stomping became eerily close. The two turned, spotting something takeing shape in the whiteness of the mountain. It was tall and broad, and lumbered with power.

They found the fucking yeti.

The large mass stopped yards away, in full view of the mercenaries. It let out a snarl and bared it's teeth, it's yellow eyes bright and observing the pair. Sniper let out a distinctly inhuman growl in return, causing Scout to take a startled step back. Sniper's form began to shift, his body rapidly growing larger. Hair grew on every patch of skin and his pants tore, and within a moment a large brown furred beast stood where Sniper had, as tall as the yeti.

The werewolf let out a howl. The yeti roared in return.

The white beast dashed forward, colliding with Sniper. In reaction he pushed forward, trying to keep the yeti away from Scout behind him. Sniper snarled with large, pointed teeth and used his weight to push the yeti backwards. He then dashed forward, slashing at the beast with a clawed hand. Howling in response, the yeti grabbed Sniper's large arm and dragged him by it with incredible strength, throwing him at a nearby tree. The werewolf's back collided with it and he let out a gruff yelp, landing on his hands and back paws. After shaking his head to clear it, he dashed on all fours with another snarl and thrusted himself forward: clawed, muscled arms outstretched. He landed on the yeti, bringing them both to the ground.

Scout was terrified. Not just for himself, but for Sniper. What if he couldn't do it? There was no respawn out here. How could Scout help? He glanced around trying to find something that could aid Sniper while the two large beasts mauled each other. His gaze then caught the sight of Sniper's rifle laying in the snow. He ran and grabbed it.

The fighting was escalating. The yeti ended up on top of Sniper, dazing him with a fierce punch before wrapping a gargantuan hand around his throat. The werewolf let out a gruff whine that was swiftly cut off by the large hand clenching around his windpipe. Thrashing his claws at the hand around his throat and his back legs at the yeti's body, Sniper tried to break himself free, but the beast simply roared and gripped tighter, using its other arm to shove his head back, further cutting off air. Sniper's angry swipes were slowing alarmingly fast, and his wild eyes seemed to lose focus.

Deeply afraid, Scout held up the rifle and aimed to shoot the yeti.

"Get the fuck off him!"

The sound of a bullet echoed throughout the woodland around them. The yeti howled in pain before turning towards Scout. The bullet only lodged itself in the beast's shoulder. It let go of Sniper and ran towards the small man, back handing him in the side and sending him flying. He hit something hard and felt something in his leg crack, making him yell in pain. That seemed to summon Sniper.

The werewolf leapt on to the yeti's back and bit down hard on it's neck. The yeti roared and thrashed for a moment, reaching behind and grabbing Sniper's jaws to pry him off and hurl him near Scout. Sniper caught himself and stood, growling and snapping his teeth at the monster.

The yeti, seeming to take a moment to evaluate, beat its chest and let out one last snarl before turning away and rushing in to the forest, deciding the fight wasn't worth it. Sniper watched and listened with perked ears for it to be at a far enough distance. When he deemed it safe, he quickly turned towards Scout and leaned down, sniffing his body.

Scout let out a huff of air, "I-- I think I'm fine, but I think my leg got fucked," Scout muttered, rolling fully on to his back, letting out a pained swear. Sniper pulled his head back and let out a hoarse and barely audible whine.

Scout took some calming breaths before glancing up at the giant wolf gazing at him with a rather concerned expression for such a dog-like face.

"Ah…so are you…in there? Like, am I talking to Snipes?" Scout asked.

Sniper nodded his large head.

"Oh. Huh. Neat."

Sniper huffed and padded away for a moment, gathering is clothes that weren't torn and his rifle that was thrown nearby. He picked them all up and made his way back to Scout, and set the contents gently on his torso. The werewolf pointed to Scout and made a holding motion.

"Ah, okay…" Scout said, clutching onto the items. 

Sniper then crouched down, scooping up Scout with a remarkable amount of gentleness for his size. He grunted in pain at the motion, but was soon standing upright with Scout in his large, furry arms. With a totally manly squeak Scout clutched at the fur.

"Sniper-- wait--" Scout tightened an arm around the bundle of clothes and the rifle, glancing upwards towards the wolf's face, "hey, you gotta be hurt too. That thing did a number on ya." 

Sniper leaned his head down and let out a puff of air, his eyes slowly closing and opening again. With a quick nuzzle in to the young man's neck, Sniper glanced back up and started making his way back towards the cabin.

"As cute as that was, I hope y'know you got yeti blood on me," Scout said, nestling in to the werewolf's furry chest. Sniper snorted fondly.

 

\-----

 

The two made their way through the snow. The closer they got, however, the more labored Sniper's breathing became. It seemed that the pain of the fight was finally getting to him, causing him to slow.

"Snipes, hey, we need t'stop and check you out or somethin'," Scout said, very concerned.

Sniper let out a scratchy breath and slightly shook his head.

"Sniper I'm serious--"

The werewolf simply continued on his journey, ignoring the small man's demands. Brow furrowed in concern, Scout gripped harder at Sniper's fur.

It felt like an eternity before the cabin was in sight. It became obvious that the strangulation Sniper went through affected him more than he was letting on, and Scout hoped that Medic could do something, and fast, so he cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Medic!"

Sniper came to a stilted halt outside the cabin. Medic then ran out the door, his coattails billowing, stopping dead when a large shadow looked over him. He took in the image of Scout in the arms of a large beast. His eyes were wide.

Scout sighed deeply, "hey doc."

There was sounds of movement from inside the cabin, and soon Heavy emerged as well.

"Does doktor need help-- oh," Heavy stopped, also noticing the unusual sight.

"Sniper finally shows his other self. Good," Heavy continued, nodding in approval.

Scout balked, "wait, you knew?"

Heavy shrugged, "my sister is werebear. Werewolf not so different."

Medic seemed to shake out of his shock, realizing the situation.

"Well that certainly explains a lot. Now Scout, Where are you injured? What happened?"

Scout explained the situation, how they accidentally found the yeti and Sniper fought it off. Medic was keen to notice Sniper's deteriorated health, even in this shape. Heavy took the Scout from Sniper's arms and brought him through the front door at Medic's command. The doctor then held up a hand to stop Sniper from moving.

"Now I know you want to change back, but I fear that may be even more detrimental to your health right now. Let's bring you in so I can examine you."

The tall German made his way to door and opened it for the lumbering beast. Sniper considered the door for a moment before turning sideways and comically shuffling in to the cabin. Inside, Engineer and Heavy were helping Scout on to the couch. Heavy glanced over at the ragged werewolf before moving some of the other furniture away from the fireplace, giving Sniper a place to lie down. Sniper promptly did just that, and all but collapsed in front of the fire in to a mass of russet fur.

Engineer let out a whistle, "well I'll be damned. Heavy wasn't kiddin'. Sure does explain a lot about ya, Slim."

Sniper let out a rumble of acknowledgement from the ground.

Medic made his way to Scout first, who shooed him away.

"Nah I'm fine for now. Just a busted leg. Sniper needs the help. The thing just about choked the life out of him after chuckin' him around," Scout said, worriedly gazing at the giant wolf.

Heeding Scout's words, Medic quickly made his way to Sniper to examine him. He catalogued the visible scratches littering his body and arms before making his way to the neck. The German gently parted the fur on Sniper's neck, eliciting a hoarse grumble of pain.

"I can see there is some extensive bruising starting, as well as some gashes on the neck. The Medigun should be able to heal this with little issue. Heavy?" Medic turned, "could you fetch the Medigun for me?"

As Heavy nodded and headed outside to the storage shed, Medic turned back to Sniper. 

"Something I find interesting Sniper, is that it appears your wounds are healing faster than that of a normal man. It is still slow, but there is a sign of more rapid healing," Medic said as he continued to examine the werewolf's wounds, "I'd love to run tests on you!" Sniper growled in response.

Before anyone could say anything else, Heavy burst back in.

"Doktor! Medigun is missing!"

Medic leapt up, "What?!"

Heavy gestured outside, "Medigun is not here!"

Medic swore sharply in German as he rushed past Heavy and outside. He searched through the crates of weapons and confirmed what heavy had said.

"Idioten! They didn't bring the most crucial item!" Medic yelled from outside. Everyone watched the door in concern.

Medic soon reappeared in the doorway with a large medkit in hand.

"There is only one medium medkit and one or two smaller ones. So I shall give the large one to Scout, save the others, and use something else for Sniper," He said as he stepped in to the bedroom he and Heavy were staying in. He came back out with a small nondescript case.

Medic went to hand Scout the medkit before the runner stopped him.

"C'mon I'll be fine, give it to Sniper!"

Medic shook his head, "nein, I have something I wish to try."

Scout narrowed his eyes and glanced at Sniper, who nodded his head.

Scout sighed, accepting the medkit, "fine, just don't fuck him up."

Medic then turned towards Sniper with a glint in his eye that made the furry Australian uneasy.

"Sniper, how many hours can you keep this form?"

The werewolf lifted three fingers.

"Excellent. I have something in here that should extend that to about ten to twelve hours!"

Sniper let out a low growl.

"Now don't be like that. In this state, if you changed back it would take you much longer to heal, and may just exacerbate your wounds. This way we can allow you to heal enough to change back, and test my new injection in the process!"

Engineer spoke up, "now doc, ya sure that's a good idea?"

"This is a creation of my own design. It allows someone to utilize their abilities to their fullest for an extended period of time. I originally created this for Heavy, to allow his strength and damage absorbstion to work overtime and for my forcefield to stay up much longer, but there's no reason it shouldn't work on Sniper here, and even you!" Medic grinned unsettlingly, opening the small case and pulling out a syringe. Engineer crossed his arms with an uncomfortable look on his face.

Scout looked at Sniper in concern, "do ya wanna go through with this man?"

The werewolf grumbled before giving a curt nod.

Scout watched in uncomfortable anticipation as Medic enthusiastically plunged the needle in to Sniper. The werewolf let out a hoarse growl and closed his eyes.

"There! And now we wait!" Medic said with a grin.

Scout quickly opened the medkit and stuck himself with the syringe inside, feeling his leg almost instantly heal. He jumped up and crouched next to Sniper, placing a hand on the side of his face. The werewolf opened his eyes and glanced up at Scout. The runner noticed how the eyes were still very much Sniper. 

"We should set trap," Heavy stated, breaking the silence.

"Good idea. I'll finish it up, then we can head out to set it," Engineer said with a nod. He turned to the werewolf and short man next to it, "you two stay here and rest. We can handle this since ya already widdled his strength down!"

Engineer headed for the door to work in the shed.

"All this in the first day too. Gonna be quite the week."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a rough time with this chapter. Was sure how I wanted to do it, so I ended up writing it in the order of middle>beginning>end. Hopefully it's comprehensible lol
> 
> Also I was gonna post it yesterday for my birthday but I forgot lmao  
> Life be like that
> 
> As always, thanks for reading :>


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